Many events have ignited or reignited passion for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Like many companies, Blue Cross® Blue Shield® of Arizona (BCBSAZ) took this opportunity to reexamine our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. We discovered we were doing well with our DEI efforts, but it was time to do better. We needed a clear message and measured results.
Two years after establishing our company’s first DEI Leadership Council, here are some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
Lesson No. 1: Get support from the top
Like any strategic initiative, leadership support is necessary. It is imperative to get concrete, meaningful commitments from leadership. Our DEI Leadership Council got exactly that from our CEO, board of directors and executive leadership team.
Here are examples of what we created and set in motion to honor our DEI commitments:
- A DEI credo crafted with employee input.
- An executive leadership pledge to the organization with tracked progress in meeting those commitments.
- Board of directors’ governing documents to reflect diverse recruitment goals.
- We added “inclusive” to our five core values.
Lesson No. 2: Involve your team
At BCBSAZ, people from different departments who had diverse roles and backgrounds started the DEI Leadership Council. Their job was to build a permanent council with a succession process and develop a framework that would enable us to create our DEI strategy.
First, we developed a DEI Leadership Council charter and bylaws to guide our processes. Next, we developed a recruitment and application process to put council members in place. We made service on the DEI Leadership Council a part of their job descriptions to ensure they are formally given the time needed to devote to the council.
Lesson No. 3: Find resources
Creating a budget is crucial. It is also another hallmark of the organization’s commitment. We developed a budget to fund the council's work. More importantly, we hired a professional with DEI experience to take over the day-to-day work of guiding the council.
Lesson No. 4: Build a foundation
To help build a solid foundation, we educated our colleagues. We rolled out different training sessions about workplace diversity, inclusion, sensitivity, unconscious bias, microaggressions and more. Our message was loud and clear: This is what BCBSAZ is about; this is who we are.
We also collaborated with our human resources department to update our company’s job descriptions to attract a diverse talent pool. Simple things make a huge difference in attracting talent, such as removing college degree requirements from job descriptions which disproportionately exclude diverse applicants.
Lesson No. 5: Measure growth and success
Once the foundation is built, you can shift toward measurable progress. We tally how many employees attend our events, such as book clubs and presentations. We capture our workforce demographics and look at recruitment and retainment figures to ensure we have a diverse pool of employees.
The bottom line
This is just an example of one company’s dedicated journey. While we chose to develop a DEI Leadership Council, there are a million different ways for businesses to create and enhance DEI initiatives. Whatever path you decide to take, it must be an authentic effort with support from the entire organization.
For more information about BCBSAZ, click here.
